Submission on Ireland’s next Smart Specialisation Strategy

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) is leading the development of Ireland’s next Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3). Supported at a European level, S3 is a place-based approach characterised by the identification of strategic areas for intervention, based on the analysis of the strengths and potential of a region’s economy and a “Entrepreneurial Discovery Process”, which involves wide ranging stakeholder engagement.

In response to the DETE’s consultation paper on the National S3, the Northern and Western Regional Assembly’s submission calls for a regional approach to be adopted for Ireland’s next S3. Bringing a regional dimension to Ireland’s next S3 will allow policymakers to fully capitalise on the wealth of knowledge and expertise of regional and local stakeholders, identify region’s sectoral and sub-sectoral strengths and create value by supporting the unique competitive advantages of each of Ireland’s regions.

Applying a regional approach to S3 – through continuous and meaningful regional stakeholder forums, regional input into policy priorities and support for the implementation of the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies (RSES) – will allow Ireland to move away from an outdated and inefficient “one size fits all” policy and deliver funding resources in a far more efficient manner. On this basis – and if developed appropriately – Ireland’s next S3 has the potential to notably reduce regional inequalities that exist in the State and effectively support the implementation of the National Planning Framework and the RSESs. Click on image below to view the Northern and Western Regional Assembly’s submission on the National S3 consultation paper, with Section 3 of the submission addressing the DETE’s consultation questions.